Motor vehicle door

ABSTRACT

A motor vehicle door having an outer door panel and an inner door panel provided with a large-surface cut-out section wherein the cut-out section is covered wholly or in part by a support plate and wherein the support plate supports mechanical and/or electrical components, such as a window lifter, lock, side airbag, electronics and electric cables, and having a door inside trim which closes the vehicle door from the interior of the vehicle. The support plate and at least one part of the door inside trim are formed as one structural unit which is made in one tool wherein the support plate and the part of the door inside trim are connected together so that they can be folded together.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a motor vehicle door having a support plate formechanical and/or electrical components

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Support plates typically are made from metal, more particularly from asteel plate. The support plates additionally are made from plasticswhich are made by injection moulding. The support plate covers a part ofa large cut-out surface area (or recess) in a door inside trim.Mechanical and electrical components prefitted thereon are tested andadjusted where necessary prior to installation in the vehicle door. Inorder to divide the door into a sufficiently demarcated wet cell and drycell, the cut-out recess in the inside door panel is generally sealed inaddition over a large surface area by a cover foil.

From DE 83 09 452 U 1, a motor vehicle door is known whose inner supportstructure has a large cut-out surface area section which is covered by adoor inside trim. This door inside trim is provided with a flap whichcan be opened up when required to reveal a part of the large surfacearea cut-out section in the door so that assembly work can be undertakenthrough this cut-out section.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to develop a motor vehicle door of thekind already mentioned still further so that its manufacture becomesmore efficient and more cost-effective and at the same time theconditions for integrating the component parts which are to be prefittedinto the motor vehicle door are improved.

According to this, the support plate and at least one part of the doorinside trim are formed as one structural group which is made jointly inone tool wherein the support plate and the door inside trim areconnected together for hinged movement through a connecting area made inthis tool (at the same time).

In this way it is possible to form one structural unit which can beprefitted and pre-checked where applicable and which comprises, inaddition to the support plate and a part of the door inside trim, alsothe function elements which are mounted on the support plate or doorinside trim, such as for example a window lifter, a door lock, aspeaker, a door control device, a side airbag and the like.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support plate and thepart of the door inside trim are made at least in part of plastics andare connected together by a hinge.

The support plate and the part of the door inside trim can be formed asinjection moulded parts which are made together in one injectionmoulding tool, or can also be formed as blow-moulded parts formed on thebasis of a tubular foundation body.

According to one variation of the invention, the support plate and thepart of the door inside trim are formed as a one-piece unit. Plasticsare particularly suitable when forming one integral unit comprising thesupport plate and door inside trim. Apart from the possibility ofutilizing the injection moulding technique for manufacturing theone-piece component part comprising the support plate and door insidetrim, the formation of this component part on the basis of a tubularfoundation body in the form of a blow moulded part is particularlyadvantageous since the blow moulding technique can be applied in a verycost-effective manner and at the same time opens up numerouspossibilities for design shaping. Furthermore the base material can beused to form a film hinge.

Utilizing the blow moulding technique to produce one unit comprising thesupport plate and door inside trim (or at least a part thereof) in theform of a substantially flat surface component part automatically leadsto a double-walled element whose walls can be adapted in various areaswith regard to the outer contour to the concrete requirements of eachindividual case. Furthermore it is possible to connect the wallstogether in spots, lines or over a large surface area in order toincrease the stiffness of the support plate or to allow sealedapertures. By connecting together the opposing walls in part, it is alsopossible to produce several hollow cavities which are separated fromeach other and can be used for different purposes. The synergy effects,which are hereby produced, lead in particular to savings in theproduction and assembly costs as well as to a reduction in the weight ofthe vehicle door.

Particularly when the door plate and the part of the door inside trimform one integral structural unit, the hinge can advantageously beformed as a film hinge, wherein a hinge strip or woven part can also beprovided which is connected to the marginal areas of the door plate andto the associated part of the door inside trim.

According to a further variation of the invention, the support plate andthe part of the door inside trim are connected together through a rotaryhinge. This can be made from separate hinge areas provided on thesupport plate on one side and on the part of the door inside trim on theother, with the two hinge areas being first made in one tool (moreparticularly an injection moulding tool) as a one-piece unit which canbe separated into two hinge areas by breaking off the connectingelements.

This variation of the invention is also advantageous when the supportplate and the door inside trim are to be made of different materials.Particularly suitable as materials for the support plate are metalplate, cast metal, injection moulded parts or blow moulded parts ofplastics as well as pressed fibre materials of hemp, wood etc.

Furthermore according to the invention, detent elements can be mouldedon the support plate and/or on a part of the door inside trim to allowthe two parts, which are able to swivel about the hinge axis and thusfold onto each other, to be locked together. This allows safe securehandling during transport and assembly. This locking action can bereleased when necessary to allow servicing of the component parts andstructural groups mounted on the support plate and covered by the doorinside trim. When there is a need to replace the door inside trim, thedoor inside trim has to be separated from the support plate. To thisend, the hinge connection between the support plate and the door insidetrim should likewise be designed releasable, for example through theability to be cut through, by means of an ideal break point or a tearline or other similar suitable technical means.

The door inside trim preferably only covers a part of the large surfacearea cut-out section in the inner door panel and keeps clear the spacesand surfaces required for the assembly work.

To simplify the guide of electric leads, it is possible to provide, onthe support plate and door inside trim, associated contacts which whenthe support plate and door inside trim are folded together produce thenecessary electrical connections. These electrical contacts canadvantageously also be combined with the detent elements described aboveand thus at the same time undertake the positioning of the support plateand door inside trim relative to each other as well as theirinterlocking.

One important advantage of all the variations of the invention describedabove lies in providing one module which can comprise all themechanical, electrical and electronic components of the vehicle door andthus represents one unit which can be pre-tested and prefitted. Thequality and efficiency of the door assembly can hereby be improved. Afurther rationalizing effect is produced through the simultaneousmanufacture of the support plate and door inside trim in one tool (moreparticularly injection moulding tool).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be explained in further detail with reference tothe embodiment shown in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view of a dry cell side of a support plate, and a view of adoor-facing side of a part of a door inside trim connected integral withthe support plate and fitted with several function units;

FIG. 2 shows the one-piece unit of the support plate and the door insidetrim according to FIG. 1, but after folding the support plate and thedoor inside trim together about the connecting hinge;

FIG. 3 shows the wet cell side of the support plate;

FIG. 4 shows a view of the inside of the vehicle door after installationof the unit, comprising the support plate and the door inside trim, intoa door body;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view through a support plate with severalcavities, reinforcements and an aperture;

FIG. 6 shows separate hinge areas which are moulded on the support plateand/or the door inside trim;

FIG. 7 shows hinge areas which are connected together by a separatehinge axis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to the embodiment of FIG. 1 (see also FIG. 4), a support plate2 is provided which covers a part of a cut-out section 101 in an innerdoor panel 11. A part 5 a of the door inside trim is connected by a filmhinge 6 to the support plate 2. The part 5 a covers a part of thesupport plate 2 and leaves a free area which is sufficient for fitting awindow lifter 37 and a lock 32.

FIG. 1 shows the two parts 2 and 5 a which are connected together in onepiece (or component part) by the hinge 6 in the “opened” state, thus asthey were removed from the tool. Where the blow moulding technique ischosen as the manufacturing process, wherein the desired product isformed on the basis of a tubular foundation body of thermoplasticmaterial by applying heat and compressed air in a moulding tool, thehinge area is formed as a film hinge 6 where the two walls of the blowmoulded part are connected together and slightly weakened whereappropriate. If the one-piece component part is however made byinjection moulding plastic, then the hinge area 6 can also be formed byseparate elements which are to be inserted into the injection tool.Fabric inserts or articulated connections are particularly suited forthis.

If an edge area 20 a of the support plate 2 is associated with an edgearea of the cut-out section 101 of the inner door panel 11, then thisoverlapping produces a sufficiently good seal. This can be reached, forexample, by a suitable sealing element which is mounted in the edge area20 a on the wet cell side of the support plate. The remaining area ofthe cut-out section 101 which adjoins an edge area 20 b of the supportplate can advantageously be covered by a matching sized ready-made coverfoil (not shown) which saves material and weight. An adhesive agent ormeans for positive-locking or clamp fixing can be used to fix the coverfoil in the edge area 20 b of the support plate 2 as well as in the edgearea (not covered by the support plate 2) of the cut-out section 101 ofthe inner door panel 11.

The following description is restricted to a component part produced asa blow moulded part, since this variation is regarded as particularlyadvantageous. This comparatively cost-effective method allows thesupport plate 2 to be designed in various shapes adapted to the relevantindividual requirements whereby one double-walled element is alwaysproduced in one work step. At the same time, large surface connectingareas 21 and linear or spot-form connecting sites 21 aa, 21 bb, 21 cccan be produced in order to produce there through openings (apertures),fastening openings, individually demarcated or accurately defined hollowcavities or to create an improvement in the dimensional stability of thesupport plate 2.

The illustrated embodiment of the support plate 2, whose wet-cell sideis shown in FIG. 3, has in conjunction with the door inside trim 5 a avery high specification of function components so that when assemblingthe door as little work as possible need be carried out. This unit whichis made up of support plate 2 and door inside trim 5 a represents onepre-checkable module having a high degree of integration which allows animprovement in the efficiency of the door production and lowers the riskof faults occurring.

The support plate 2 and the door inside trim 5 a have differently shapedareas depending on the technical requirements and demands on the vehicledoor 1. In order to seal the wet cell which lies between the supportplate 2 and the outer door panel 10, the support plate 2 has acircumferential edge area 20 a, 20 b in which the two walls 2 a, 2 b lieone on top of the other. An additional three circumferential linearconnecting sites 21 aa, 21 bb, 21 cc set closed within the edge area 20a, 20 b include separate hollow cavities whose walls are stabilized byswage-like reinforcements 22 bb, 22 cc, 22 dd.

One of the hollow cavities, which is defined by the connecting site 21cc, functions as a resonance chamber for a speaker 29. The one of thehollow cavities is adapted in size exactly to the speaker 29 used inorder to obtain the best possible sound results. At the top of thesupport plate there is a relatively large connecting area 21 which formsa type of indentation between the two hollow cavities which are definedby the connecting sites 21 bb and 21 cc. In this indentation is housed adrive and control unit which consists of a motor 28, a gearing 26 and anelectronics unit 27, and whose output shaft is in active connection witha cable drum 26 a with housing. The drive force is passed through acable guided in a Bowden tube 37 c of a Bowden window lifter 37 alongguides at ends of guide rails 37 a up to a follower 37 b which ismounted displaceable on the guide rail 37 a and is connectable to alower edge of a window pane.

According to the illustrations of FIGS. 1 to 3, the guide rail 37 a ofthe Bowden window lifter 37 is located in an inclined transport positionand is able to swivel into its operating position about a swivel axis 37d in the direction of arrow A. The bolt of the swivel axis 37 b ispreferably formed in one piece on the support plate 2. The Bowden windowlifter is fixed in the door body by screws which are guided through theaxes of the cable guides (more particularly cable rollers). Stresses onthe support plate 2 are thereby avoided.

A through opening 210 is also provided in the connecting area 21 throughwhich cables 38 a, 38 b are guided and sealed against dampness. Whilethe cable 38 b serves to power and control the electronics unit 27 ofthe electric motor 28, the cable 38 a connects an outside mirror, atweeter mounted in an upper area of the door inside trim 5 a, a switchblock 51 a for controlling the window lifter and outside mirror, andalso a floor light 58. Furthermore a grab handle (or handle shell) 25 a,a speaker cover 56 for the speaker 29 and an air duct 52 a forventilating the windows are all integrated in the door inside trim 5 a.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, the air duct 52 a ends on one side inthe region of the dashboard support (not shown) in an air inlet and onthe other side in air nozzles 52. Also visible are the switches 51belonging to the switch block 51 a as well as an inside door opener(operating element) 25 b and a locking button 25 c (operating element)which are mounted in the handle shell 25 a. Elements for transferringforce or transferring setting movements (e.g. Bowden cables or rodlinkages) as well as cables are guided on the wet cell side of thesupport plate 2 and connect the operating elements 25 b, 25 c to a lock32. The lock 32 is also shown in its transport position and is fixed ona lock holder 31 which is mounted displaceable on a rail 200 integratedin the edge area of the support plate 2. After fitting the support plate2 in the door body, the lock 32 is pushed into its function position andlocked there.

The position of the support plate 2 and the door inside trim 5 a, shownin FIG. 2 where they are folded together, corresponds to the transportand delivery position. After fitting the module into a vehicle door, thewindow lifter 37 and the lock holder 31 are located in their operatingpositions, as shown in FIG. 4. A fastening area 37 e is provided on theguide rail 37 a of the window lifter 37 and is connected to an end 50 aof a grab handle 50.

An outside door handle holder plate 39 a is mounted on the wet cell sideof the support plate 2 and is connected to the lock holder 31 throughthe guide rail 35 for the window pane as shown in FIG. 3. The outsidedoor handle holder is thus held displaceable in the direction B. A lockcylinder 39 b is prefitted on the outside door handle holder plate 39 a.After installing the support plate 2 and fixing the lock 32, the outsidedoor holder plate 39 a is fixed on the outside door panel 1. The outsidehandle can then be inserted with the dish (or grab handle) 25 a. It is,however, fundamentally also possible to likewise prefit the outsidehandle on the holder plate 39 a.

The support plate 2 is preferably fixed on an inside door panel 11 byscrews in the overlapping edge areas. If a side airbag is to be providedthen its fastening sites 30 a can also serve at the same time for fixingwith the support plate 2 in this area, wherein it is possible to prefitthe side airbag 30 through simple clips. In order to safely sustain thereaction forces of the side airbag 30 even where the support plate 2 haslittle stability, a comer area of the inside door panel 11, preferablyprovided with reinforcement swages, is to be passed behind the sideairbag 30.

At this point it should be pointed out that the one-piece component partaccording to the invention can also comprise a support plate and/or adoor inside trim which covers an entire cut-out section 101 of the innerdoor panel 11. The pre-requisites for this are given, for example, ifthe support plate and door inside trim are supplied for assembly in the“unfolded” position; and/or; the window pane and lock can be assembledthrough so-called “blind fitting”; and/or local assembly openings, whichcan be closed by suitable elements, are provided in the support plateand where necessary in the door inside trim.

Using FIG. 5 which shows in diagrammatic form a sectional view throughan imaginary support plate 2′, reference will now be made to someessential features and design possibilities of the blow mouldingtechnique.

Analogous with the support plate 2 previously described the walls 2 a, 2b lie one on top of the other in the edge areas 20 a, 20 b and thus formideal surfaces for applying cover foils or fastening holes. The part 2′has three separate hollow cavities 23 a, 23 b, 23 c which are separatedfrom each other by connecting sites 21 a, 21 b. In one of the connectingsites 21 a a through opening (or aperture) 210′ was provided suitablefor passing through a drive axle, operating rod or cables. Theindentations 24 a, 24 b lying between the hollow cavities 23 a, 23 b 23c can hold function units such as for example motors, electronics,airbag or the like, or they can be used to guide force-transferringcomponent parts such as rod linkages or Bowden cables. Swages 22 a, 22b, 22 c can be shaped into the wall 2 a to provide reinforcement.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show further examples for designing hinge areas for amodular unit of support plate 2 and door inside trim 5 a. These eachconcern rotary hinges which are made up of separate hinge areas providedon the support plate 2 on one side and on the part 5 a of the doorinside trim 5 on the other. Such rotary hinges can be formed in one tool(more particularly an injection moulding tool) with the simultaneousproduction of the support plate and part of the door inside trim,wherein the two hinge areas are still connected together at first afterremoving the modular unit from the tool. The two hinge areas are thenseparated by breaking off the corresponding connecting spots so that twoseparate hinge areas are formed which allow the door inside trim torotate freely relative to the support plate.

The two hinge areas 6 a, 6 b shown in FIG. 6 are particularly suitablefor connecting together the folding support plate and door inside trimwhen these are not made from the same material. The hinge areas 6 a, 6 bcan thereby be designed like clips so that the door inside trim and thesupport plate can be separated from each other when necessary.

The hinge areas 6 c, 6 d shown in FIG. 7 are identical in design andconsist of several eyelets arranged comb-like. To connect the two hingeareas 6 c, 6 d, a separate hinge axis 6 e is used which engages throughthe eyelets of the hinge areas 6 c, 6 d and which can be inserted as aseparate component part into the injection moulding tool in which thesupport plate and the associated part of the door inside trim are made.

What is claimed is:
 1. A motor vehicle door for a vehicle comprising: anouter door panel; an inner door panel with a cut-out section; a supportplate which supports at least one of mechanical and electricalcomponents and covers at least part of the cut-out section; a doorinside trim facing an interior of the vehicle; a connecting area thatconnects together the support plate and at least one part of the doorinside trim so that they can be folded together; and wherein the supportplate, the at least one part of the door inside trim and the connectingarea are a continuous one-piece part.
 2. The motor vehicle dooraccording to claim 1 wherein the support plate and the at least one partof the door inside trim are made at least in part of plastic.
 3. Themotor vehicle door according to claim 1 wherein the support plate isconnected to a hinge, which in turn is connected to the at least onepart of the door inside trim.
 4. The motor vehicle door according toclaim 3 wherein the hinge is a film hinge.
 5. The motor vehicle dooraccording to claim 3 wherein the hinge is a rotary hinge.
 6. The motorvehicle door according to claim 1 wherein the support plate and the atleast one part of the door inside trim are formed as injection mouldedparts.
 7. The motor vehicle door according to claim 1 wherein thesupport plate and the at least one part of the door inside trim areformed as a blow moulded part on a basis of a tubular foundation body.8. The motor vehicle door according to claim 1 wherein the support plateand the at least one part of the door inside trim are formed as oneintegral structural unit.
 9. The motor vehicle door according to claim 1wherein the connecting area is formed as an articulated wall and isinjection moulded into an edge area of the support plate and the atleast one part of the door inside trim.
 10. The motor vehicle dooraccording to claim 1 wherein the connecting area is a fabric partconnected to the edge areas of the support plate and the at least onepart of the door inside trim.
 11. The motor vehicle door according toclaim 1 wherein the support plate and the at least one part of theinside door trim are made from different materials.
 12. The motorvehicle door according to claim 1 wherein after folding the at least onepart of the door inside trim together with the support plate, areas inthe support plate, upon which assembly work is to be completed, remainaccessible.
 13. The motor vehicle door according to claim 1 furthercomprising a guide rail mounted in the door for a window lifter and theguide rail has a fastening point for an end of a door handle.
 14. Themotor vehicle door according to claim 1 further comprising a guide railmounted in the door for a window lifter and the guide rail has afastening point for an end of a door handle.
 15. A motor vehicle doorfor a vehicle comprising: an outer door panel; an inner door panel witha cut-out section; a support plate which supports at least one ofmechanical and electrical components and covers at least part of thecut-out section; a door inside trim facing an interior of the vehicle; aconnecting area that connects together the support plate and at leastone part of the door inside trim so that they can be folded together;and wherein the support plate, the at least one part of the door insidetrim and the connecting area are made together in one tool as onestructural unit, and wherein the support plate and the at least one partof the door inside trim are connected together through a rotary hinge,and wherein the rotary hinge has a hinge area on the support plate and aseparate hinge area on the at least one part of the door inside trim.16. The motor vehicle door according to claim 15 wherein the two hingeareas are made in one tool together with the support plate and the atleast one part of the door inside trim as one integral unit, wherein theone integral unit is capable of being separated by breaking theconnecting area such that the two hinge areas are separate.
 17. Themotor vehicle door according to claim 15 wherein the at least one partof the door inside trim is connectable to the support plate throughdetent elements moulded on at least one of the support plate and the atleast one part of the door inside trim.
 18. The motor vehicle dooraccording to claim 17 wherein a connection between the at least one partof the door inside trim and the support plate is releasable through thedetent elements.
 19. The motor vehicle door according to claim 15wherein the at least one part of the door inside trim, and the supportplate are provided with associated electrical contacts, such that whenthe at least one part of the door inside trim and the support plate arerotated together to contact each other, an electrical contact occurs,guaranteeing a transfer of at least one of electrical signals andelectric drive energy.
 20. The motor vehicle door according to claim 15wherein the rotary hinge connects together the support plate and atleast one part of the door inside trim, and permits the support plateand at least one part of the door inside trim to be moved between firstand second positions, wherein in the first position the at least onepart of the door inside trim is positioned away from the support plateto expose a portion of the support plate, and in the second position thesupport plate and at least one part of the door inside trim are foldedtogether.
 21. The motor vehicle door according to claim 20 wherein inthe first position the support plate is substantially completely exposedsuch that each of the at least one of mechanical and electricalcomponents for a vehicle door is accessible.
 22. A motor vehicle doorfor a vehicle comprising: an outer door panel; an inner door panel witha cut-out section; a support plate which supports at least one ofmechanical and electrical components and covers at least part of thecut-out section; a door inside trim facing an interior of the vehicle; aconnecting area that connects together the support plate and at leastone part of the door inside trim so that they can be folded together;and wherein the support plate, the at least one part of the door insidetrim and the connecting area are made together in one tool as onestructural unit, and wherein the at least one part of the door insidetrim is connectable to the support plate through detent elements mouldedon at least one of the support plate and the at least one part of thedoor inside trim.
 23. The motor vehicle door according to claim 22wherein a connection in the connecting area between the at least onepart of the door inside trim and the support plate is releasable throughthe detent elements.
 24. A motor vehicle door for a vehicle comprising:an outer door panel; an inner door panel with a cut-out section; asupport plate which supports at least one of mechanical and electricalcomponents and covers at least part of the cut-out section; a doorinside trim facing an interior of the vehicle; a connecting area thatconnects together the support plate and at least one part of the doorinside trim so that they can be folded together; and wherein the supportplate, the at least one part of the door inside trim and the connectingarea are made together in one tool as one structural unit, and whereinthe at least one part of the door inside trim, and the support plate areprovided with associated electrical contacts, wherein after foldingtogether the at least one part of the door inside trim and the supportplate the associated electrical contacts guarantee transfer of at leastone of electrical signals and electric drive energy.
 25. A support plateassembly comprising: a support plate to support at least one ofmechanical and electrical components for a vehicle door; a door insidetrim; and a connecting area that connects-together the support plate andat least one part, of the door inside trim, and that permits the supportplate and at least one part of the door inside trim to be moved betweenfirst and second positions, wherein in the first position the at leastone part of the door inside trim is positioned away from the supportplate to expose a portion of the support plate, and in the secondposition the support plate and at least one part of the door inside trimare folded together.
 26. The support plate assembly of claim 25 whereinin the first position the support plate is substantially completelyexposed such that each of the at least one of mechanical and electricalcomponents for a vehicle door is accessible.